Computers with visual displays are commonly used to process and/or monitor complex numerical data sets and to produce graphs from live data feeds in real-time. However, visual displays are often overused in complex, data-intensive situations, and might fail to discover hidden patterns in such situations. For example, in financial industry, a trader must constantly view multiple screens displaying multiple different graphical representations of real-time market data for different markets.
Human ears provide a very good alternative and supplementation to the visual way of reception information for visualization and understanding complex data sets. Data sonification can effectively display large and multi-dimensional data sets which can help in uncovering otherwise hidden correlations and patterns. It can also be used in presentations to an audience so that they can quickly understand the implications of patterns in data they are introduced to for the first time. It can also provide way of presenting data that is more entertaining than just showing the data graphically.
Accordingly, there is a need for a sonification system, in particular, a musical sonification system that complements visualization and provides users with alternative and additional ways of identifying and extracting physical signatures represented in the data. In particular, there is a need for a musical sonification and visualization system and method that is capable of improving visual perception when accompanied by audio signals and data exploration of large multi-dimensional data sets.